


The Ever Watchful

by ThisThingHere



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Freeform, Gen, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape Friendship, Marauders' Era, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Alastor Moody & Eileen Prince Friendship, Young Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-03-11 08:06:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13520079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisThingHere/pseuds/ThisThingHere





	1. Chapter 1

"Severus, come away from the window." Severus' mother told him as he peered out of the living room window onto Spinners End. 

There had been news. Worrying news that He Who Must Be Named and his followers had been targeting those deemed as "Blood Traitors" which had caused his mother to act erratically, for the past few days. Though her calm facial expression and tone gave nothing away, Severus could tell that this news had effected her deeply. She had been leaving the house at odd times, saying that she'll "be right back" or she was "just popping out to get something". It had all come to a head that morning when Severus had come downstairs, to fix himself some breakfast and, found that only he and his mother were present. When he had asked where his father was, his mother had simply answered that he had "gone to the pub". But Severus knew this to be a lie. His father was an alcoholic, this was true enough but he never left for the pub until the evening. He would stay until after tea and leave without a word of goodbye. But he never drank before lunch. He was very consistent and predictable. No. Something else was going on and Severus very much believed it had something to do with the recent attacks.

Moving away from the window he turned and quickly spotted his school trunk sat next to where his mother was standing. "Dare I ask?" Severus said, gesturing to his trunk. "Or is my trunk going to the pub, too?"

"Your father was right, you are too smart for your own good." his mother sighed with a shake of her head. "I'm blessed to have an intelligent son but times like these I wish you were a bit dimmer. It would make things like this all so much easier."

"Does that mean you're going to tell me what's happening? Or is this twenty questions?" Severus asked, sarcastically. He loved his mother but hated when people weren't direct with him.

"I'm sending you to live with an old family friend." stated his mother. "Until things calm down or this manic is behind bars, it's not safe for you here. If He Who Must Not Be Named and his followers come for me, they're not going to just gloss over you and your father. This is a muggle area and with what I've seen, if they do come, no one will be safe."

Severus' mind immediately thought of Lily and her family. "Where is my father?" he questioned.

"He's safe." his mother insisted, firmly. "That's all I can tell you, for his and your safety." Then taking a black cloak that had been sat neatly folded on the nearby kitchen table, she draped it over Severus' shoulders. Severus then watched silently as she removed a folded, embroidered handkerchief from her pocket and setting it down on the table, she opened it up. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep your father from finding this and pawning it off." Picking the item up like it was a delicate flower petal, Severus stayed still as his mother used it to fasten the cloak. Inspecting the piece, it turned out to be circular broach in the shape of a fox forged from wrought iron. Beneath it was an inscription. "Vafer, intelligentia et ante omnis fidelu. Sly, intelligent and above all faithful." She then smiled as her fingers fondly traced the lettering. "It was your grandfather's. Said it was his lucky broach." She laughed, soberly "It's funny, really. He always wore it everywhere he went. But one day he either forgot it or decided not to wear it and-he never came back." She pulled her hand away as if it had stung her fingers. "I-I kept it ever since."

"I'll take good care of it for you." Severus said as the metallic fox suddenly felt heavier where it sat just above his heart.

"You know I'm not a superstitious women but, promise me you'll always wear it when you go anywhere?" she hastened to ask. "It'll just make me feel securer knowing you're wearing it."

"I promise." Severus nodded, managing a small smile and he was pulled into gentle embrace.

Suddenly, there was booming knock on the front door, causing his mother to retrieve her wand. She then placed a finger to her lips and gestured for Severus stay put as she crept to the door. "Who is it?" she inquired.

"Alastor Moody." came a gruff voice from the other side.

"What's the password?" said his mother, keeping her wand close.

"Equinox." said the same gruff voice from before.

At this, his mother eagerly unlocked the door and opened it up for the looming figure, who stepped into the house, closing it after him, she locked the door once more. "Good of you to come, Alastor." she thanked the grizzled haired man while Severus tried not to stare at the glass eye as it swiveled about it's socket, taking in it's surroundings. It was rather unnerving.

"Only frustrated I couldn't make it earlier." Alastor Moody growled. "Times being as they are, I've been run off my feet. Mostly paranoid witches and wizards claiming that Voldemort is in their back garden or hiding in their potting shed." Then his swiveling blue eye locked onto Severus. "So, this is the boy?"

"Yes, this is my son, Severus." his mother said, gesturing with her empty hand to Severus. "Severus, this is Alastor Moody; he's the head Auror for the Ministry Of Magic."

"Hello." Severus nodded as the man reached into his weathered overcoat and pulled free a hip flask and, taking a sip, he stored it away.

"I assume you've briefed him on what's going on?" Moody queried.

"Not really, I seemed to have gotten the abridged foot notes." Severus quipped. "But I have the basic gist of it, if that's what you're asking?"

"Hmm." Moody grunted, turning to Severus' mother, he said "Another smart arse Prince? Seems to be part of your genetic code. But I'm glad you told him at least something, the last thing I need is a string of questions." He then cleared his throat in an uncomfortable manner. "You should get any goodbyes out of the way because once we leave, we wont be coming back anytime soon."

"Thank you, Alastor." Severus' mother smirked and approaching Severus, she whispered "He may seem a bit gruff round the edge and ... you'd be right." Severus smirked at this, noting that the Auror had suddenly taken an interest in their family photos that sat on the mantelpiece. "But he is one of the Prince family's oldest friends. And he was there for me when your grandfather and grandmother died. I trust him to keep you safe but you need to do exactly what he tells you. And don't do anything reckless-"

"I would never-" But he froze when his mother raised an eyebrow.

"Severus Snape you have a curious mind and a habit of looking into things that don't concern you." stated his mother, sternly. "I don't want to hear that you've been sneaking about somewhere and have gotten yourself in trouble." Then gently grasping his jawline, she said "You're an intelligent young man, use it." Then brushing aside a strand of Severus' hair, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Take care of yourself or I'll track you down and kill you myself."

Severus nodded, nervously. Though he knew she would never lay a hand to him, he still took it seriously.

"Ready to go?" Moody grumbled as he reminded Severus of his presence.

"Ready." answered his mother as she went to unlock the door, prompting Severus to pick up his trunk.

"You're quite sure you'll be alright?" Moody question Severus' mother, who smiled.

"I may be a women of simple taste but as you very well know, I'm not a simple minded person." she smirked. "Don't worry, I know my fair share of useful charms and defensive spells."

"I hope you do." said the man, stiffly. The beckoning to Severus he instructed "Come on, boy. Time we left."

With a moments hesitation, Severus followed after the older wizard onto the streets of Cokeworth, looking back briefly to see his mother close the door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

They had walked for what felt like miles through dense forests and had apparated twice, all the while Moody muttered to himself "Leave no traces." and "Shake them off.". Though Severus had no idea where they were going, he knew that if he was made to apparated one more time he'd be sick. He also had this paranoid feeling of being watched. Not by anyone or anything nearby that may or may not be watching them but the forever swiveling, glass eye. Like somehow it was able to watch him, even when he was stood behind Moody. It was uncanny.

"Not to interrupt your conversation with yourself," Severus began. "But are we almost there; wherever "there" may be?"

"Legs getting tired?" Moody accused with a grunt.

"My fatigue might be a contributing factor but my main reason for asking is because we seemed to have traveled for hours and, I'm still very much in the dark as to where we're going." Severus replied, stepping carefully over a large tree root.

"Times being as they are, you can't trust your neighbor's cat. Let alone other people, in case they turn out to be a spy." Moody said. "You got to keep a low profile, keep to cover when you can and only break cover when and if necessary." He then added "But to answer your question, yes we are almost there." He then turned and gestured for Severus to move closer as they left the woods and walked out into a large field.

As Severus followed after the auror, he shivered as if accidentally walking through one of the Hogwarts' ghosts and was confronted with a house. It wasn't a large manor of a building, nor was it a two up two down like Severus' home, it was a humble looking brick building perched on top of a little hillock. It wasn't at all what he had imagined for the paranoid, old, auror. "Huh." Severus managed as he observed the house.

"Where you expecting something different?" asked Moody as they walked to the front door.

"I'm not really sure what I was expecting." Severus admitted. "Maybe a stone wall perimeter with barbed wire and turrets. Or at least a look out point."

"I know I'm paranoid but I'm not stupid." Moody grumbled as he pushed open the front door, leading Severus into a narrow hallway before closing the door smartly behind them. The long line of locks clicked into place. "What use would muggle defense do to defend against Voldemort and his Death Eaters?" At Severus' flinching from the mention of Voldemort's name, the auror added "And that's something you're going to get used to hearing around here. I'm not one for sugar coating my words. If you want that type of kid glove handling, talk to a politician." He then walked away towards the stairs, gesturing for Severus to follow.

As they climbed the stairs, he noted that each step had a distinctive creak to them. "Do all of your floorboards make a sound or just the stairs?"

"Not all of them, no but that should be remedied given a few more years of ware." Moody answered as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Wouldn't you want them fixed?" Severus asked, confused.

"No, you never know when a creak from a floorboard can be an early alarm that someone's in your house." Moody admonished as he pushed open a nearby door that led into a plain looking bedroom. Stepping around the auror, Severus entered the room and walking over to the lone bed; he set down his trunk.

Suddenly there was a loud rattling noise coming from the bedside wardrobe, causing Severus to retrieve his wand. "A boggart, maybe?" he put forth, unsure.

"A possibility." Moody nodded, pulling free his own wand. "But you best get behind me just to be sure. And keep your wand at hand." Then surging forwards the auror wretched open the wardrobe door. Severus couldn't make out whatever it was but it certainly saw the ugly side of the older wizard as there was a flash of coloured light and what looked to be a shadow like creature before Moody flicked open the nearby window and, forcefully removed it from the room; closing the window behind it. "It shan't bother you no more." Then shuffling uncomfortably he added "I'll leave you to get settled."

Severus then watched as the auror walked away, the floorboards creaking as he went. Walking back inside the bedroom and closing the door, he sighed "Mum, what did you sign me up for?"


End file.
